Wood Lake, MN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Wood Lake: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Wood Lake and Yellow Medicine County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Yellow Medicine County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
1 of 82 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Yellow Medicine County compares with Minnesota
Yellow Medicine County against Minnesota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Yellow Medicine County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Yellow Medicine County | Minnesota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 74.7 | 39.0 | 49.7 | 1.9× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 7.8 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 2.6× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.42 | 0.37 | 0.49 | 1.1× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.3% | 2.8% | 2.3% | 54% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 14.3% | 25.6% | 6.2% | 44% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 19.5% | 27.0% | 23.7% | 28% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 7.8% | 19.1% | 13.8% | 59% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 28.6% | 46.2% | 41.9% | 38% below the state |
| After dark | 10.4% | 20.3% | 24.8% | 49% below the state |
Yellow Medicine County has lower values than Minnesota for garbage-truck share, on snow, slush or ice and morning rush (6–10 am). Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash.
The headline for Yellow Medicine County: 7.8 people killed per 100 truck crashes (Minnesota: 3.0).
Overview
Yellow Medicine County has recorded 82 truck crashes since 2015, with 34 people injured and 6 killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 52 days.
Only 1 truck crash was reported in Wood Lake since 2015; patterns below come from Yellow Medicine County as a whole.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in June (13.4% of the year) and are lowest in March (2.4%).
November through March accounts for 28.6% of truck crashes here, compared with 46.2% in Minnesota.
By time of day, 2–3 pm stands out with 14.6% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 14.3% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Minnesota: 25.6%).
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Wood Lake since 2015: SR-23 (1). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
1 crash involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 1.2% share (Minnesota: 2.8%).
Route planning tips for Wood Lake fleets
- Review driver schedules for June, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
About the data
Crash counts come from the FMCSA crash file (police-reported crashes involving trucks over 10,000 lb); fatal-crash locations come from NHTSA FARS. Text on this page states only what these numbers show.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Yellow Medicine County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-23 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Yellow Medicine County) |
|---|---|
| Usth 75 | 8 |
| Usth 59 | 8 |
| Mnth 23 | 7 |
| 300Th St | 6 |
| Mnth 67 | 5 |
| Saint Olaf Ave | 5 |
| 510Th St | 4 |
| Hwy | 4 |
Wood Lake at a glance
| Population | 373 |
| Land area | 0.8 sq mi |
| Density | 495 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 56297) | $82,250 |
| Median home value (ZIP 56297) | $150,180 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Yellow Medicine County since the 1990s
Combines the FMCSA crash file (all reported truck crashes, real coverage from about 1990) with NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes involving a large truck, 1982–2024).
| Decade | Truck crashes / yr | Change | Fatal crashes / yr (FARS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4 | — | 0.3 |
| 2000s | 6 | +42% | 0.5 |
| 2010s | 8 | +29% | 0.5 |
| 2020s | 7 | -4% | 0.4 |
In the 1990s about 4 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 7. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal large-truck crashes: 0.2 a year in 2016–19, 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Wood Lake
How many truck crashes happen in Wood Lake?
Since 2015, 82 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Yellow Medicine County (34 injured, 6 killed).
When do most truck crashes happen in Wood Lake?
Truck crashes in Yellow Medicine County peak in June, with 13.4% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Wood Lake?
1 crash involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Yellow Medicine County since 2015, 1.2% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Wood Lake compared with Minnesota?
The yearly rate is 74.7 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Yellow Medicine County, vs 39.0 for Minnesota.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Wood Lake?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.